Anadolu Foundation

In pursuit of an ideal

Kamil Yazıcı and İzzet Özilhan set up their business in a small shop in Tahtakale at the beginning of the 1950's. At the same period of time, they had begun to shape an ideal which was present at the deepest point of their hearts.

This ideal was to invest in the people of Anatolia – the people of these lands where they derived their strength.

Kamil Yazıcı was born in Niğde – Aksaray, and İzzet Özilhan was born in the Pusatlı village of Tomarza in Kayseri. The paths of the two entrepreneurs crossed in Istanbul. They were progressing with determination and endeavour on the road they had set off on, and determining big objectives while also not forgetting the needs of the people of Anatolia.

28 years after they laid the foundations of the group, which they dignified by giving it the name of Anatolia (Anadolu) – in 1979 – the two families set up the Anadolu Education and Social Assistance Foundation, with the strength they had obtained from the people of Anatolia. With the establishment of the foundation, permanent achievements, which would serve for generations in the required areas, started to be created. The areas which they focused on most were health and education. The first achievements of the foundation were constructed on the lands where the two families were born: a primary school in the name of Mustafa Yazıcı in Niğde Aksaray, and a student halls of residence in the name of Vesile Özilhan, in the Tomarza district of Kayseri. Thus, the, the first steps were taken in the services provided by the Anadolu Foundation to the country.

And today...

The Anadolu Foundation is putting its name to significant investments in the fields of health and education at great pace. It is progressing adopting the principle of investing in people, embracing common sense, and progressing towards its ideal of being able to manage the resources it uses with the approach of a social entrepreneur and be a social value.

To date, the ‘Foundation of Anatolia’ has given bursaries to 28.000+ students in the field of education. It has had faculties, schools, halls of residence, and sports and social facilities built in order to meet the needs of the community. Within “Our Valuable Teacher Project” since 2013 more than 22.000 teachers have been trained on Social Entrepreneurship and Project Management (PCM) enabling the development of many project initiatives in education. Anadolu Foundation, which is also continuing its education and seminar activities on a regular basis, continues its determination to contribute to the future of both youngsters, and the country.

In the field of health, Anadolu Medical Center, which it has established in cooperation with John Hopkins Medicine, is putting its name to important developments, and aiming to offer qualified health care services free of charge, by extending assistance to tens of thousands of patients. Since it was founded in 2005 until the end of April 2017, Anadolu Medical Center gave; 115.746 examinations, 323.770 diagnoses and 8.759 surgey to patients in need. Anadolu Foundation, since 1979, has established more than 50 facilities in Anatolia – 3 of which are hospitals.

While the Anadolu Foundation is performing all of this support and these services, its only source of funds is the donations obtained from the Anadolu Group companies. Group companies donate between one and five percent of their profits to the Foundation every year. The Foundation transfers these resources to the people of Anatolia, to add new facilities, and to create healthy individuals and an educated young generation.